With India trying to win the Asia Cup for a record eighth time, the first match of the tournament will be India versus Pakistan on August 28.
India’s captain believes that the team will do better this time, even though there is a rematch against their arch-rival. As Sharma says, “The game will be different this time.”
“Asia Cup is happening after a long time, but we played Pakistan last year in Dubai, where obviously the result did not go our way.
But with the Asia Cup being different now, it’s changed, and the team has prepared differently, so all those factors have changed from then on,” he said.
“We just need to keep in mind the fact that it’s gonna be playing at around 40 degrees Celsius, and all those other things.”
“We’ve always said that it’s not important to focus on our opponent,” the captain added. “Rather, it’s what we need to do as a team and what our purpose is.
” Nevertheless, India will still be focusing heavily on their game plan in the upcoming Asia Cup.
With just a few months left in the T20 World Cup, captain Kohli said the template for the side is mostly set. The T20 World Cup is going to start soon and India will have its template for its side.—
“There are still right around two-and-a-half months left for the T20 World Cup. Before that, Asia will host the ASIA Cup and play two series in India versus Australia and South Africa.
As of now, they have been playing in India so the conditions will be different when they go to Australia. They need to play each match with a different strategy depending on the conditions.”
Considering how much cricket the team plays, India’s back-up is crucial.
Jasprit Bumrah will be out of the competition because of a back injury.
Rohit Sharma wears eery jersey, makes a fan cry
Rahul taught me that the team will not succeed as they rely on one or two individuals. With injuries occurring and cricket being played, a strong bench of players is essential.
Jasprit also expressed his concern over how to create a powerful bench strength without overwhelming the young players.
Rahul explained that this would come with experience and senior players help nurture them.
Rohit Sharma also spoke on various new leagues.
The Indian captain backs ODIs by saying, “My name is One-day cricket; I’ve been going on forever. All these are just words.” The format has more supporters than opponents. How long Test cricket lasts is not as important to him as it used to be because he also realizes that “playing the game is most important.” Thus his position for ODIs is unequivocal.
Rohit Sharma- On the upcoming international leagues, he adds, “Ten more leagues are coming, but in the coming years, we will get to know what the players prefer. But right now, the situation of Indian cricket is just what it should be – we play IPL, international cricket. The guys playing IPL are getting exposure and our aim is to build bench strength with the best talent so as not to worry about a lack of players in certain roles or positions. You need to have confidence that you will still get an opportunity when you’re ready and being able to perform on this stage. Being part of your country is important at all times. Aside from playing cricket over domestic tournaments like IPL, tours like Zimbabwe give players exposure and help them improve their game.”
